She Wolf
by Dances-In-Ashes
Summary: SPOILERS UP TO 2x09. GOES AU AFTER THAT. Includes an OC. A person from Regina's past shows up amidst the chaos, a voice of clarity among the cacophany of voices; she believes there is redemption for Regina, but only down a road Regina must first accept. EVENTUAL SWANQUEEN, EMMA/REGINA.
1. Chapter 1

**SHE WOLF**

**Fandom**: Once Upon A Time

**Pairings**: Emma/Regina, Regina/OC

**Rating**: M

**Warnings**: Language, violence, sex between two women

**Trigger Warnings: **Mentions of abuse, rough sex, torture

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Once Upon A Time or it's characters. They belong to others. I make no profit from this. However, Eva is mine.

**Summary**: SPOILERS UP TO 2x09. GOES AU AFTER THAT. Includes an OC. A person from Regina's past shows up amidst the chaos, a voice of clarity among the cacophany of voices; she believes there is redemption for Regina, but only down a road Regina must first accept.

**Author's Note: **Normally, I dislike OCs in fanfic. Either reading about them or writing about them. But for some reason this idea struck me while I was at work, and I had to get it down. I do hope some of you out there find this at least marginally entertaining. **Reviews -even critique!- are greatly appreciated... even if you're just taking five seconds to say 'yay' or 'nay.'**

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Ever since Emma and Snow had returned from the Enchanted Forest, Regina found herself in a difficult situation. Her nerves were jumping inside of her skin, muscles painfully contracting at the worst times, sleep and hunger eluding her, shivering attacks leaving her aching.

The dark magic she had taken in to close the portal was slowly eating her alive.

Without an outlet, it would eventually kill her; and not in a remotely humane way. The pain alone was becoming intolerable, driving her to drink until the room tilted and the pain took a backseat to her thoughts.

_Perhaps this is what I deserve, _ran through her head. T_o have done good -much too late- only to find myself still alone, still unloved, dying as my body tears itself apart with dark magic. Ironic..._

The crisp chime of the doorbell shattered her line of thought and the silence of the mansion, the tumbler of whiskey paused only inches from her lips. Her eyebrows furrowed as she glanced at the clock on the mantle -just past two in the morning- and then worked up a slight scowl. No one should be at the door at this time of night; Henry should be in bed, well asleep... perhaps it was Leroy, come fresh from the bar, shit-faced and brimming with liquid courage. If that was the case, she preferred to ignore the offensive little man and continue her drinking in quiet solitude.

She'd been more and more like that lately... nonconfrontational. Before, she'd always been claws out, magic or venomous words at the ready; now she could barely muster up the energy for a witty come-back. There was just not enough rage left inside her to fuel those volatile emotions. Nowadays she was mostly tired, hollowed out by the loneliness and rejection that was the fallout of her curse being broken. Even her charged confrontations with Emma had simmered down to apologetic glances and soft-spoken words.

Another sip of whiskey burned it's way down her throat, and when she closed her eyes to revel in the feeling the doorbell chimed again.

If it had been Leroy, he would have started to knock and shout by now. Perhaps it was an emergency -but isn't that why she had a phone? And why would they come to her? Sighing, Regina set the glass down on the coffee table and stood up, smoothing the wrinkles from her immaculate gray dress. It was the same one she'd worn back when Emma had mutilated her beloved apple tree.

Whoever she had imagined it would be when she opened the heavy white door, it definitely was NOT who anyone she had expected.

"Eva?!" came tumbling out of her mouth before she could stop herself, surprise very clearly written on her face.

The woman standing in the light of her front porch looked like the definition of a rich biker chick: all high-end black leather with silver buckles; knee-high boots, tight pants, and a gorgeous jacket (definitely not tacky... unlike Emma's) zipped tight against the cold. Dark, choppy hair -a careful mix of style and chaos- grazed her shoulders and fell into eyes the colour of warm caramel.

She was pretty in a dark, rough sort of way. Her only obvious flaws were the sporadic, silvered scars that decorated her lightly-tanned skin. And when she spoke her voice was liquid velvet; comfortable and deep enough to fall into.

"Hello, Regina."

The former mayor gawked for an awkward moment, then seemed to remember herself. Quickly schooling herself back into a semblance of control, she guestured into the mansion as an invitation. Taking the hint, the woman stepped inside with the stocatto of heels and clicking metal. She glanced around, studying the inside as she followed Regina back to her study.

Ever the good host, she poured Eva a glass of whiskey as well and held it out to her, eyes darting around.

Eva gave the offered glass a glance before reaching out to take it, fingers brushing Regina's as the whiskey exchanged hands. Regina's shifty gaze flew to her eyes, searching painfully for her motive. The amused glitter in the woman's eyes made her blush and turn away.

"It's strange... how for nearly thirty years I've watched you be the mayor... so, put together and in control, a son to take care of, a city to run. Every day your make-up is flawless, outfits pristine." The stranger picked her way across the room to sit further away than even Emma ever had, as if physically showing how far apart they truly were. "And I couldn't help but wonder... how was this your happy ending?" Raising the glass to indicate the room, she shrugged. "I thought on it, rolled it around in my head for some time, and got to thinking. Is it the lack of magic? Surely, here, no one could hurt you -not your mother, not Rumple- and you would be able to quit your addiction. Or was it the fresh start? No one knew who you were, what you had done in the old world. Perhaps it was finally having a child... after everything you had endured... the miscarriages, the orphans rejecting you... Whatever your 'happy ending' entailed, it did not truly make you happy. Always apart, always alone. Even with Henry."

Taking the opportunity as Eva took a drink, Regina turned a watery glare on her. "How DARE you come here in the middle of the night to judge me! And where have YOU been all these years?!"

Golden eyes contemplative, the stranger swirled her drink. "In that form which most naturally comes to me."

"A wolf," it's a quiet revelation, and suddenly Regina feels ill.

Eva bobs her head in affirmation. "You cursed us to this place, you brought everyone with you that you wanted. No one knew who they truly were, so they were none the wiser; you gave me my wolf, though, and with it my memories... how was I going to tell anyone?"

Regina is staring into her drink, watching the amber liquid swirl and glint brightly in the crystal. With a sudden, jarring realization, she remembered Eva's fur was brilliant amber.

"For twenty-eight years I watched you; you never changed, you were always the same woman. All hurt and anger and regret and guilt, but now you could hide it under a mask. Pretend you were someone else. And then this... Emma Swan showed up." At Regina's flinch, she raised an eyebrow and continued. "She challenged you like no one before had, and even as she broke the curse on the town, she broke the curse on you."

"What?" The question was quiet, as much confusion as bewilderment.

"Not a curse of magic, but of your past. Since that woman showed up, you've changed, Regina. You are not the woman who cast this curse. _She _was a hurt child, born of an abusive mother, created by the loss of first love, twisted by an imp who offered that still sweet, still innocent girl freedom in untamed dark magic; and further and further that Regina drowned, losing more of herself each day. In the end, like a cornered and wounded animal, she lashed out in the only way she knew how.

"And while that woman is still a part of you, you are not her any more."

Regina remained quiet, wholefully out of character. Perhaps it was because this woman spoke the truth with jarring clarity, or maybe the past misdeeds being brought to light so frankly sobered her. Or it could have been their frustrating, tenuous relationship that had plagued the edges of her reign as queen.

After taking a moment to drain half her glass, Eva continued. "Now you are the woman who has shouldered a town for twenty eight years, adopted and nurtured a baby into an intelligent, well-mannered young boy as a single mother, and gave these people things they could have only previously dreamed of. If you had really wanted to hurt these people, you had many years to do it; indoor plumbing, central air conditioning, and video games aren't exactly torture."

Regina shifted uncomfortably, still staring into her whiskey because she couldn't look anywhere else. "And look where that got me. I've forever lost... Daniel," she choked on his name, "I swore off magic to gain back the son who hates me... and still refuses to give me the time of day, my _mother _-who I had thought dead- is coming to Storybrooke, and godammit if Emma Swan isn't treating me like a charity case."

Eva carefully watched the shifting emotions play across the other woman's face, analyzing each tremor in the woman's hands.

In the old world, she never would had gotten this far. The Queen's temper was legendary, and any critique or mention of 'things better left unsaid' would have had her chained up in the dungeon and left to rot. Close friend or not. That Regina had sat through her words, even contemplated them, was a marvelous improvement that only further validated her theories.

The trembling in her hands had worked it's way into the brunette's shoulders, and then into the tightly-drawn lines of her face. When tears appeared at the corners of her eyes, Eva was standing, tumbler forgotten on the table, and crossed the room to wrap her arms around the former evil queen/ex-mayor.

The brunette stiffened instinctively, ready to push Eva from her, but once her weight had settled next to her, making the couch dip, and warm, strong arms encircled her, she lost any composure she might have had. Tears spilled down her perfect cheeks, stiff posture and stoic expression giving way to grief. Althought she let Eva hold her, she couldn't find the strength to touch her back.

The Wolf smelled of leather and wood smoke, her soothing warmth radiating comfort in it's possessive protectiveness. It was heart-breakingly familiar; few people had ever touched her so kindly.

Nothing more was said as Regina cried herself past the point of tears to where only muffled sobs remained. After a minute -or tens of minutes, who could tell?- she collected herself, wiping her eyes with the back of a hand, and pulled out of the embrace.

"You smell of dark magic." It was a statement, brooking no argument, and at Regina's tearful nod, Eva pressed a palm to her cheek, drawing her gaze. "Regina, it's going to kill you to keep it bottled up like this."

"I know." She sounded so resigned, so broken.

Brows furrowed, the Wolf canted her head in confusion. "Then why haven't you gotten rid of it?"

Regina's dark chocolate eyes fell to her lap, and althought she didn't move, it was obvious she was withdrawing into herself as emotions shut down in her eyes, that tightness returned to her face, and her muscles readied themselves as if to flee. "I promised Henry I-"

"You _wouldn't _be using magic!" She interrupted the former queen with a fierce glare, "Draining the energy you pulled inside of yourself is not using it, Regina... you know better!"

"It's all I deserve," she heard the brunette whisper, so softly perhaps only a Wolf would have been able to hear it. A fresh tear traced down her cheek, and Eva brushed it away with her thumb.

"Bullshit, your majesty." There was a deep rumble to her voice, and when Regina looked up, she saw those caramel eyes had turned a brilliant yellow as the Wolf leapt to the forefront of Eva's consciousness.

"I... I can't-"

"Use me."

"What?"

Eva shifted forwards, taking Regina's shoulders. "Use me to drain the dark magic."

"I won't hurt anyone else." Her hand reached for the whiskey again.

"It's okay... what little you might hurt me... it'll be alright. You need to get it out."

Regina swallowed, made a visible effort to control her emotions, and when she started to speak Eva cut her off.

"You are a wonderful, strong woman, Regina Mills. But you are also damaged." At the stricken look she received, she offered a sad half-smile. "Thankfully, there is someone who can pick up the pieces. But you have to let yourself love again; and that means letting people help you."

Since Regina had already retreated, Eva found leaving easy. She stood with the creak of leather, polishing off the whiskey, then stooped to brush her lips chastely against the woman's temple in a display of support.

"Change is never easy, my highness, but know that when you are ready there are those of us willing to help."

Regina listened to Eva's retreating footsteps, the open and closing of the front door, and then the deafening silence that followed.

She needed another drink.


	2. Chapter 2

**SHE WOLF**

**Fandom**: Once Upon A Time

**Pairings**: Emma/Regina, Regina/OC

**Rating**: M

**Warnings**: Language, violence, sex between two women

**Trigger Warnings: **Mentions of abuse, rough sex, torture

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Once Upon A Time or it's characters. They belong to others. I make no profit from this. However, Eva is mine.

**Summary**: SPOILERS UP TO 2x09. GOES AU AFTER THAT. Includes an OC. A person from Regina's past shows up amidst the chaos, a voice of clarity among the cacophany of voices; she believes there is redemption for Regina, but only down a road Regina must first accept.

**Author's Note: **I do apologize for this chapter's lateness. I've been meaning to get it up for a very long time. But I'd write it, dislike it, start over... write it into another direction, hate it, start over. I still don't like it; there were four ways I wanted this chapter to go and many more ways I wanted it to end. But I figured I had better get this posted before I drove myself insane trying to rewrite it to death. Let me know what you think, please. **Reviews -even critique!- are greatly appreciated... even if you're just taking five seconds to say 'yay' or 'nay.'**

_Once, in a land far away, full of fairies and princesses and sorcerers, an evil queen had struck a deal with a huntsman in exchange for his services. His first and only task: to dispose of the woman's step-daughter, a young woman much-beloved by her people. In return, the man wanted his family and friends protected: the wolves. It had been such a silly request to the queen, and in her blind quest for vengeance, she had readily agreed._

_What did she care if the wolves lived?_

_He had been raised among them, she'd been told. That he was little more than a beast in the body of a man. And if the lives of some flea-bitten animals were all he wanted in exchange for her happy ending, so be it._

_It had been after his betrayal that a woman came seeking an audience. Regina had denied her at first, but curiousity finally won out. The woman had claimed to be the huntsman's sister -but he had no human family, isn't that what he'd said?_

_The woman who had appeared, clothed in skins and furs, introduced herself as Eva, leader of the wolf pack that lived within her kingdom. Regina had almost laughed at the absurdity. It was with a little explanation that Eva revealed the nature of her pack -a collection of true wolves and those born to them that could take on human form. She inquired about 'her brother' though he was not truly blood; the queen, for her part, put on a wonderful puppet show, prancing Graham around with a little more bluster than he should have had and declaring how happy he was to be living in the castle._

_And although she didn't say anything, Regina could tell by the look in Eva's eyes that she wasn't fooled. So it was surprising when the woman showed up again, a few days later._

_She expected a melodramatic monologue about how this wolf-woman was going to rescue the huntsman from her tyranny, and then rush her with sword in hand -or, more likely, claws out. The Evil Queen was most surprised when Eva sunk to one knee and offered up her loyalty._

_"And why would I accept that?" Regina had stared her down suspiciously, extravegant black dress whispering across the floor as she moved._

_"Because you will have need of me, and I of you, your majesty."_

_After a moment of regarding the woman and her words, she accepted the offer, albeit warily._

_Regina was not disappointed. The woman was an excellent hunter and tracker; never once did she fail her orders or question her motives. And very quickly after Eva's arrival, the huntsman lost his thrill, becoming little more than a personal guard; the wolf-woman sacrificing herself to save her brother, whose heart he'd so wrongfully lost._

_She became a distraction from every day life for Regina. Eva was wild and ferocious, and lacked typical human weakness; she could take and keep on taking until Regina was sated. She healed much quicker than her human counterpart, shrugging off even the worst of wounds, which the Queen took full advantage of._

_There was no judgement from the Wolf, no sickly sweet words of endearment, no need to stay and linger, just an understanding nod and a fast exit. Their trysts were of fire and lightning, heated and electric... often times violent and bloody,as Eva accepted the brunt of the queen's fury. The Wolf figured if she could take the queen's anger, that meant fewer others would fall prey to her temper._

_But, eventually, where the release was once a balm to her raw emotions, Regina found herself slowly becoming confused by the cold of loss and abandonment once the woman took her leave. She wasn't supposed to have grown attached._

_Sensing the subtle shift, the Wolf visited less frequently until she nearly stopped altogether. Anger and fury replaced Regina's sorrow and feelings of loneliness, if only to protect her already aching heart. She sent an armed guard to bring Eva in, and when the guards threw the woman at her feet, a most willing prisoner, Regina asked the only question that entered her mind, "Why?!"_

_"Because I save you from yourself; it is not I who should possess your heart."_

_The answer was not sufficient -or cut too close to home- because Regina brought down an invisible whip upon the Wolf's back, laying the flesh open and splattering blood across the pristine black marble. The ensuing growl of surprised pain almost had her apologizing, but Eva's caramel eyes were so defiantly set, she brought the lash down as many times as it took for her temper to cool._

_"I should take your heart for your disobediance, you mangy cur!"_

_Eva was on hands and knees, her panting so ragged it was sickly, blood dribbling down her back, around her ribs, pooling on the floor. The wet sound of blood dripping against polished marble punctuated her breathing, and when tremors took her, she forced her eyes to Regina's._

_The brunette was holding a fist in the air, a mixture of fury and sadness warring in her eyes._

_Eva offered a small, albeit regretful smile. "You already have it, my queen. Always. But I will not cater to you any more; I will not help you destroy yourself."_

_Frustrated, Regina brought her hand down sharply, and Eva found her flesh laid open once again. The blood sprayed across the floor, and what little energy she had left seeped out with it. She let herself sink to the cold marble, the warmth of her blood a strange contrast, her eyes on her queen. The physical pain was little compared to what she felt in her soul as she saw Regina turn on her heel and storm from the room in a swirl of black flowing gown._

_It was in that moment that she knew she wouldn't see her queen again._

The feelings only grew worse as the dark magic spoiled inside of her.

The shivering fits turned more violent, and more than once she'd thrown a temper tantrum just to take her mind off the ensuing pain. Cleaning up the evidence afterwards only gave her thinking time, and the more she thought about it, the heavier she drank so she was only left with the blurred, muffled, images that should have been her thoughts.

More than once the magic inside had leapt out, finding conduits in various things; the staircase banister, the sofa, one of the dining room tables. They all bore the marks of her slowly losing control over the magic she was so determined to keep inside, even as it began to claw it's way out of her skin.

It was evening on the second day after Eva had left when the doorbell chimed.

When Eva had shown up, she couldn't help but feel completely off-balance, as if her whole world had tilted on it's axis. And perhaps it had; the child she had raised from near-birth had left her abruptly upon finding his birth mother, as if she hadn't invested so much time and effort to see him healthy and accomplished. Ever since Emma had returned from the Enchanted Forest, Henry hadn't wanted to see her. Several times she'd picked up the phone to call him, just to hear his voice, and every time she had hung up before the second ringtone.

No one had come to check on her -she could have been dead for all anyone knew (perhaps in their dreams, rather)- while she sequestered herself in the mansion that was now her self-imposed prison.

After their talk, and with all the time in the world to think, Regina figured her visitor would be Eva once again; it wasn't as if anyone else wanted to see her.

So when she yanked open the door to a certain blonde sheriff (she had resumed her position upon returning from Fairy Tale Land -David was an imbecile), Regina stuttered. Which, in turn, threw Emma.

"I- uh... I'm sorry, Miss Swan, I was just... uh, sitting down for dinner." The scathing remark that had risen up to end her sentence died as she bit the inside of her cheek. "Please, come in."

Emma shifted from foot to foot on the porch, looking so much like the woman who had driven in to town in that horrible excuse for a car, but where she would have once awkwardly schlumped inside after the former mayor, she now held herself with some semblance of new-found confidence, heeled boots striking the tile purposefuly.

Regina noted the difference, as well as the difference in her clothing, and continued on into the kitchen with Emma following behind her. She needed to remove the pasta from the stove before it over-cooked. No one liked over done spaghetti.

"Look, I know we've had our differences," Emma finally spoke, snorting at her own words. "Okay, we've _never _seen eye to eye... but-" she stopped in the doorway to the kitchen, her eyes having fallen on the table.

It had been set for two.

"Oh, I, uh... didn't know you were expecting company..." who that company might have been, Emma couldn't have even guessed. "Am I interrupting? I could come back later. I mean... tomorrow."

Regina had her back to her as she pulled a strainer from a lower cabinet; the better to hide her pained expression. "It's just me."

Emma realized all at once where her eyes had landed, and cleared her throat to stare pointedly at a wall while Regina busied herself with the pasta. She removed the pot from the stove with a pair of red mits and drained it over the sink, steam rising up and pooling against the ceiling like a tiny mushroom cloud. The domestic guesture put the blonde off balance all over again, remembering a similar time when Regina had been cooking an apple turnover...

"What was it you wanted to talk about? By now you've normally talked my ear off."

Emma startled out of her thoughts, seeing Regina watching her -not glaring, she noted, and though her words were to the point, they were not razor-edged- and cleared her throat once more.

"Yes. Right. Well, I know we've had our differences, but I want to... start over. To give you a second chance. Henry told me you were changing... and dad- David says you've been doing better. Archie said you've been trying to stay magic-free, that you're quitting. That you want to be a better person." She narrowed her eyes on the former mayor, "so I want to give us a fresh start, too."

Regina wasn't quite sure where to start -that Henry had talked about her, that David had backed him up, that Archie had violated her privacy (curse-given PhD or not), or that Emma was here to offer her a blank slate. She opened her mouth to respond, but nothing came out. So she clenched her jaw and nodded, back, still to Emma, instead.

"This means NO magic." Emma motioned in front of herself in a very definitive 'cut off' motion, and Regina seemed to understand.

She nodded. "No more magic." But the foreign dark magic rushing through her veins suddenly burned in her fingertips, feeling like wild electricity. The irrational fear that if she touched someone she would electrocute that person caused her fingers to twitch even as she reached for a handtowel. Emma saw the movement, green eyes flickering down and back again.

"Regina..." she hedged, her gaze hardening. She wanted so badly to believe that Regina was changing. Because after everything she'd seen, everything she'd heard, she truly wanted to see the woman happy. No matter what she had done in her past, that person was not her anymore. And this person that she was now, she was scared and hurt and sad; there was no anger left in her, no malice. Just a friendless mother who had lost her son. _Please don't screw up now, _she thought, seeing a tiny green spark leap across the ex-mayor's fingertips.

"It's not mine," came Regina's whisper, turning to look at the sheriff with pleading eyes. The dizziness from the night before came rushing back, and she steadied herself by leaning back against the counter. "It's Rumple's. Rather, he took the magic from fairy dust and used it to block your portal back. When I took it... well, I didn't know I wouldn't be able to control it."

Swallowing the lump in her throat, the blonde moved into the kitchen. "It's still inside you?"

"It will dissipate, eventually."

Emma frowned. _Liar. _But what else was she going to do? To say? She knew nothing about magic, and it wasn't as if she was going to give Regina a hug and tell her everything was alright. So she moved on, uncomfortable. Folding her arms over her chest -because the want to touch the pained woman was becoming too much- she continued with her list.

"If you have a problem, you... come to me." Emma floundered a moment, "Because... I'm the sheriff and... that's my thing. I don't need either you or Mr. Gold going after people who've slighted you. _I _will deal with it."

Regina's eyes were on the ground, voice soft. "Of course, sheriff."

Emma hesitated on the last stipulation, not used to Regina being so... agreeable. And subdued. Her eyes fell to the second plate as she opened her mouth, but found herself unable to speak. It was a smaller plate with smaller portions...

Before she could get anything more out of her mouth, the front door opened, slammed shut, and the dull thunk of boots echoed in the foyer swift and purposeful, intent on a destination. There was something in the way Regina suddenly stiffened and pulled herself together that put Emma on edge as well, as if the woman was trying to cloak herself with her mayoral visage. It was all coldness and steely eyes, haughty upturned chin with hair thrown back, back straight and hands on her hips. In an instant she was the mayor -or the queen- all over again.

Taking a subconscious step to put herself between Regina and the entry, Emma touched the butt of her gun. _I don't have time for people to start shit tonight!_

A tall, dark-haired woman halted abruptly in the entryway upon seeing Emma, her eyes flicking from the sheriff to Regina, and back again. The sudden surprise that had leapt onto her face softened, and she had the decency to lift her hands and smile slightly.

"Probably should have knocked, I'm sorry. And while I apologize for interrupting..." her eyes went over Emma's shoulder to lock with Regina's. "This is a bit of an emergency."

Emma shifted her weight and glared. "Why didn't you call the station?" She couldn't recall ever having seen this woman before, but, then again, it seemed like people were just coming out of the woodwork as soon as the curse had ended.

"No offense, princess, but this is a matter for Regina."

Eyebrows shooting into her hairline, Emma half-turned to look at Regina, who looked a mix of surprised and worried. And did this woman seriously just address her as '_princess_?'

Oh, yea, she _was_a princess. Technically. She frowned, immediately hating the title.

"What is it?" Regina felt another wave of dizziness, and she closed her eyes. The burning returned to her skin, much hotter this time. Nausea rushed up to meet her, blood pounding in her ears, but she heard Eva nonetheless.

"Cora."


	3. Chapter 3

**SHE WOLF**

**Fandom**: Once Upon A Time

**Pairings**: Emma/Regina, Regina/OC

**Rating**: M

**Warnings**: Language, violence, sex between two women

**Trigger Warnings: **Mentions of abuse, rough sex, torture

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Once Upon A Time or it's characters. They belong to others. I make no profit from this. However, Eva is mine.

**Summary**: SPOILERS UP TO 2x09. GOES AU AFTER THAT. Includes an OC. A person from Regina's past shows up amidst the chaos, a voice of clarity among the cacophany of voices; she believes there is redemption for Regina, but only down a road Regina must first accept.

**Author's Note: **Oh, my, still getting through the set-up for this story. D: But soon, action! Yay! And thanks to everyone who's reviewed, faved, and followed! You make this endeavor worth it. Nothing makes me happier than coming home from a fourteen-hour work day and seeing all the faves/reviews/follows. 3 Hopefully this doesn't read too terribly. I'm not the best with dialogue, so tell me how that turned out. **Reviews -even critique!- are greatly appreciated... even if you're just taking five seconds to say 'yay' or 'nay.'**

When she tried opening her eyes she became aware of the heavy and wet washcloth that had been placed there, and she nearly sat up. Nearly. The sudden, forceful palm on her sternum that pushed her back and pinned her down prevented it. She panicked in her sleepy haze, the word 'Cora' dancing with the feeling of being restrained.

"It's alright, your majesty. Just calm down, can't have you blacking out again." The voice was Eva's, off to her left, and she relaxed back into what she realized was her bed. The Wolf's hand left her as she concentrated on the itching in her fingertips, the burning in her palms. This foreign magic was tearing her insides apart; and it had nearly freed itself if the surges of electric static snapping across her skin were any indication.

"Is she going to be alright?"

Regina bolted upright at that statement, the sheriff's voice surprising her. The washcloth slipped off, and she saw the two women standing off to the side. In unison, they turned to look at her, Eva's eyes hardening. The former mayor was greeted with dizziness and pain behind her eyes, and before she could protest further she found herself pinned to the bed again.

"You will _not _get up, Regina. And so help me if you try again I will sit on you."

Brown doe eyes moving to glance at Emma, who looked nothing but worried, she wanted to protest this show of weakness. Especially in front of the _Savior._But the serious look in Eva's eyes stilled her. Knowing Eva, she would make good of her threat and both her dignity and pride would simply wither up and die. So, sucking up what little dignity she could muster, she nodded and sighed.

Bedridden in front of Emma. Great.

"Thank you." The mattress dipped beside her, a rough hand coming to rest on her forearm. "Now, princess-"

"Don't call me that. _Anything_but that." Emma was making a face, and at Regina's slightly amused expression, she shrugged at the brunette.

"Fine. Sheriff. She needs to drain the magic she took into herself from the well… then she will be okay. If not, it _will _kill her."

Regina felt the magic bubbling inside her skin, almost as if it were happy at the thought of ripping her apart. It caused her to shiver and frown, her sobering head beginning to question whether or not this was going to be a good idea. It might just be better –and easier- to leave her to her demise. The irony wasn't lost on her that she had been twisted into creation by the same magic that was killing her. Built up, torn down.

"So how do we drain it?" Emma crossed her arms over the gray sweater Regina was loathe to admit was a nice change, looking terribly lost.

"Through transfer. A person magically inclined or resilient to magic has to take the energy inside themselves, then release it. Like a grounding rod."

"And can just anyone do it?" The hero in her wanted to volunteer so quickly it hurt not to say anything. She had saved Regina so many times before –in the fire, from a mob, from a wraith- what was once more? But as she had heard from so many people, magic came at a price.

She shook her head. "I can count on one hand the number of people who could do it, two people I…. trust, but only one who is likely to survive." At this she paused.

There was an uncomfortable silence before it dawned on Emma, the Savior… the White Knight.

"Me?! I don't even know how to _use _magic! How will I know what to do? What if I hur-"

"She is not doing this!" Eva growled, quickly standing as if to block the blonde. "I will not let her anywhere near you with magic she has no control over!"

Regina clenched her jaw, then met Eva with her best Evil Queen glare. "I don't think I have another choice, do I?"

The resulting deep, rumbling growl that Eva dredged up from the depths of her soul caused Emma to jump and reach for her gun. It was an inhuman sound that carried fury and rage, and the promise of violence.

Eyebrows knitting together, she could practically see Eva bristle as she straightened her posture and her once-brown eyes were a shocking gold. Oh, hell, another werewolf….

"I can bear the brunt of the transfer, my queen. Let me do it."

Regina pushed herself up slowly, back resting on the headboard. "While I do not doubt that… you would probably fry your synapses upon release. Emma, at least, has magic that might react to the sudden surge and dampen it's effects. Though," her eyes cut to the sheriff, "I do worry about it tainting her."

"_Might_?" The blonde asked incredulously, not at all happy with how this all sounded.

"And those idiots would ultimately blame me…"

Eva shifted her weight so abruptly Emma felt her heart flip in her chest, suddenly afraid the woman was going to do something hasty and stupid. After all, that was _her_department. And she'd seen Ruby move… werewolves were fucking fast.

"And what about Cora?" Regina asked, changing the subject, voice slipping a little as if afraid speaking her mother's name would summon the witch into her home. Stopping her mother was a much more pressing issue in her mind; few knew the woman's destructive capabilities.

"She will be dealt with, but only after we take care of… this. If you keep the dark magic inside you, she could very well use it."

Regina went quiet, drowning in thoughts and pain alike. She wondered, absently, if there was any whiskey left downstairs. If Emma were to do this, she'd need to be out of her mind shit-faced. Because no way in hell was Emma touching her willingly.

"Emma and I will give you an hour alone. When I come back, I need an answer; your body can't hold the magic much longer. I can smell it leaking out."

Eva was the first to leave, turning on a heel, which left Emma standing awkwardly between the bed and the door. She scuffed a boot at the carpet, then thought better about it. Best not to get yelled at for ruining the décor. "Look, Regina, I know you hate me and all… but… thank you. For saving us… and putting yourself in danger to do it. I know you didn't have to. You are changing."

The mayor looked surprised, her mask slipping to show the vulnerability below. But Emma only held her gaze for a heartbeat before she left, shutting the door behind her.


	4. Chapter 4

**SHE WOLF**

**Fandom**: Once Upon A Time

**Pairings**: Emma/Regina, Regina/OC

**Rating**: M

**Warnings**: Language, violence, sex between two women

**Trigger Warnings: **Mentions of abuse, rough sex, torture

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Once Upon A Time or it's characters. They belong to others. I make no profit from this. However, Eva is mine.

**Summary**: SPOILERS UP TO 2x09. GOES AU AFTER THAT. Includes an OC. A person from Regina's past shows up amidst the chaos, a voice of clarity among the cacophany of voices; she believes there is redemption for Regina, but only down a road Regina must first accept.

**Author's Note: ****First of all, apologies for the long over-due update! One of my jobs relocated me, I've been averaging about 80hrs per week at work, my adoption papers finally went through so I've been busy with the new (fuzzy) kid. I can barely breathe much less write. The good news is the next several chapters should update a lot smoother since most of those have been written. Secondly: This fic was started before The Queen Is Dead aired, so now that we know 'Eva' was Snow's mother's name, I felt terribly awkward writing this for some reason. I'm just going to stay with the name choices I have –we'll pretend Snow's mother's name was…. Jane. Or something. Lastly… I had a horrible time writing this chapter; the interaction between Emma and Eva seems terribly rough and I don't think I managed it well. But I didn't want to keep the chapter from you readers any longer (or plague myself with it's inadequacies), so my apologies for the craptacularness. ****Reviews -even critique!- are greatly appreciated... even if you're just taking five seconds to say 'yay' or 'nay.'**

**A big shout-out to all my followers, those who have faved, and ESPECIALLY those who've reviewed. I tried to take suggestions into account. Thank you for your feedback! /smile**

"Eva, was it?"

The werewolf, pawing through a side drawer, turned as the sheriff came into the kitchen. "Evangeline. Only Regina calls me Eva."

Emma's eyebrows rose at that little bit of information. But instead of commenting on the nickname, she instead came to stand opposite of the island counter and folded her arms over her gray sweater. She'd pulled her unruly blonde hair back into a ponytail, but nevertheless several tendrils had managed to fall loose and she pushed them behind her ears thoughtlessly. "I don't remember seeing you in town before today."

Pulling a small plastic bottle from the drawer, the dark-haired woman flashed her teeth in a decidedly wolfish manner. "You wouldn't have," she unscrewed the lid and tapped out several pills the colour of redwood into her palm, setting them on the counter. Eva turned to retrieve a glass from one of the cupboards, and when she moved to the sink to fill it, she shrugged at the blonde. "I've been a wolf for nearly thirty years. Took a while to get my bearings once the curse broke."

"A wolf?"

"The form I rather prefer," Eva said with a tilt of her head.

Emma played with a part of her sweater, worrying a thread that had come lose. "Form. So… you _are _a werewolf? Like Ruby?"

The glass made a small _clink _as it was set down beside the pills, and Eva nodded her head.

Digesting that briefly, the sheriff nodded, putting the information away for later, and changed the subject.

"You mentioned something about Cora…"

"Mm, yes. Cora." Emma knew body language, and she could see how tense the werewolf suddenly became, the muscles in her shoulders and back tightening. Regina's mother was definitely bad news for everyone, it seemed. "I was taking a walk down by the harbor when I heard a pair of voices. But it was the scent that got my attention… I've never laid eyes on her mother until this evening, but Regina had some of Cora's belongings in the old world, and I spent enough time around them to recognize what she smelled like" Eva crossed her arms, fingers tightening on her biceps. "And she was with someone… a pirate who was missing a left hand, and in it's place he wore a hook."

"Hook."

"Yes, a hook."

"No, his name is Hook."

"Oh. That's not," the werewolf furrowed her brows, "very original. But you are familiar with this man?"

Emma hesitated, really wondering how much she should be saying to someone who allied herself with Regina. And, beyond that, someone whose motives and goals were completely unknown, thus making her a wildcard. However, Eva _did_ seem to have Regina's best interest at heart, so she could count on that, at least.

"We had a run-in with him and Cora in the Enchanted Forest." She lifted a shoulder and let it drop in a very bored, nonchalant shrug.

"I see." There was a creak of leather as Eva shifted her weight.

Emma frowned, though, her gaze dropping to the tile. "How did they even get through? The portal was closed behind us."

"There are many ways to cross worlds, sheriff. As determined as Cora has always been, I'm not surprised she found a way over. But, what matters is they found a way to Storybrooke." There was a pause, the look in her eyes shifting to something darker, "And back to Regina." Sighing, she caught Emma's worried gaze. "Do you want a drink?" Not waiting for an answer, she grabbed two more glasses from the cabinet and made a beeline for the liquor cabinet.

The sheriff followed, trying to run over the notes in her head.

_So Cora has found a way to Storybrooke. And we can assume she's going to want Regina. She knows about Henry. And me… however she decides to interpret Regina and I sharing a son. Do they even have adoption in Fairy Tale Land? Hmm…. And how did Eva fit into all this? Why did she care about what happened to Regina?_

Eyes going back to Eva, she watched the woman select a nearly-full bottle of rum, quickly filling each glass and passing one to Emma. Before the sheriff had even taken a tentative sip, Eva had already drained half her glass.

"Um, should you really be raiding Regina's private stock?" She half-smiled at the werewolf, though she did seriously worry at the thought of Regina catching them drinking her alcohol. Emma was pretty sure some of these bottles cost more than her car.

The grin Eva turned on her was surprisingly light-hearted. "She owes me quite a bit more than a drink. She'll forgive me one bottle." She held the bottle up in show, chuckling, "But I wouldn't dream of touching her cider; I rather like my hands intact, thank you."

Emma couldn't help the snort that suddenly escaped at the joke, then nodded as if she finally decided Eva was okay.

She sipped on the straight rum Eva had given her, and though her taste in alcohol was vastly different, she didn't complain. However, she _couldn't _stop frommaking a face.

They stood in silence, Eva refilling her glass as Emma continued working on her first. Once the warmth in her belly started spreading into her thoughts, the blonde regarded the werewolf with a thoughtful cant of the head. There was definitely history between the former mayor and this wolf.

Sucking in a deep breath, Emma gathered all the courage she could muster (and pretend she had). "How… how did you know Regina? Back… there."

"I was her plaything in place of my brother, Graham."

The forwardness is jarring, and Emma feels her mind trip as it attempts to process the information. "Plaything…. Wait, Graham? _Graham_ was your brother?" Feeling off-balance, Emma gripped her glass a little tighter as if it would keep her from swaying in place.

"Yes. But not by blood, no. He was abandoned by his parents when he was young, and my parents took him in and raised him as their own. We were very close when we were children."

Emma practically blurted out, "Are you the gray wolf he kept seeing?"

Dipping her head and adverting her gaze, the dark-haired woman shrugged away from the answer. "That is our brother, a wolf who does not shift. He was always very close to Graham, as he was a runt among my blood siblings." Shaking her head, she continues her explanation. "Graham left with him when he reached the age that males leave the pack. Sometimes I didn't see them for months. Graham changed while he was out in the world, living among humans, growing distant. Eventually, I became alpha of the pack, my parents passing on and I being the strongest of my siblings.

"There was a period of time he was gone especially long, and when he returned, he said the human queen had declared wolves under her protection, and that he would take his place in her castle." She finished off her rum with a toss of her wrist and frowned. "It was then I knew something was wrong. Graham did not like humans, despite being one. He had no love for their destructive ways. And he would _never_ choose to live among them. So I went to see this queen, to figure out what her game was. When I figured it out, I offered myself in his place. To save him. He would have died, I think, at her hand."

"She _did_ kill him," Emma said in a voice a bit harder than perhaps she'd meant.

Eva ducked her head, gaze falling to the tile. "I know. I was still unable to save him, in the end." She goes to refill her glass a third time, nearly spilling it over the sides, then tops Emma off.

Watching the wolf-woman gives Emma pause, because she can see the conflicted emotions warring in the warm caramel of her eyes. There's guilt and sadness, and enough regret to drown in. Feeling suddenly intrusive, the blonde looks away.

Nodding, Emma cleared her throat. "And what do you mean by… plaything?"

Eva swirled the rum in her glass, watching it, then glanced up to pin Emma with a predatory look. "I gave her something far more interesting to play with in her bedchamber than a simple human. My kind heal far more quickly and have far greater physical and mental stamina."

For a moment, the blonde opened her mouth as if she were going to say something while her facial expression shifted quickly between confusion, disbelief, surprise, even slight disgust. "Oh," she commented smartly instead, then closed her mouth.

"It wasn't always sex," the wolf continued, as if Emma weren't mortified. "Sometimes she simply needed an outlet for her frustration. And she was very creative about the ways she went about letting it out; violent but short-lived tantrums involving magic was usually her fall-back."

"She tortured you?" The sheriff looked revolted, and every idea she had in her head of Regina being this misunderstood, broken woman suddenly evaporated. Snow's voice was in her head, repeating how evil this woman was, how terrible she had been. How she had balked at her chances for redemption time and time again.

Cocking her head to the side, Eva recalled that former life. "Perhaps. But I was not unwilling. While her attentions were on me, eager for my blood, it meant others were free from her wrath. I, at least, could handle it."

"So you _let_ her beat the crap out of you? How is that any different?"

"Worse was done to her, Emma." Eva glared over the rim of her tumbler as she swallowed down a few more mouthfuls of rum. The first tendrils of warmth were spreading in her chest, and with it her temper. "Or hasn't anyone told you what her childhood was like?"

Emma's thoughts, of course, went straight to Cora. Honestly, no one had told her much beyond 'she's evil.' But even Snow had (sort of) defended Regina in the face of her mother. She'd said the woman was many times worse than Regina…

Catching on, the werewolf growled low in her throat. "No, of course they didn't. Regina has always been everyone's easy way out; the perfect target to blame. But no one ever once stopped to wonder how a heart so pure had been so corrupted. Because only Evil Queens save young girls from runaway horses, or teach them stories about true love being the most powerful and wonderful magic of all."

Blinking stupidly, Emma furrowed her brows, the tumbler in her hand lowering from her lips. "Regina did that?"

"And more, sheriff. Her entire life was one big manipulation by her mother to be queen. Once her mother was gone, it was Rumplestiltskin using her to invoke the curse."

The blonde used her thumb to swipe at the condensation on her glass, and recalled Mary Margaret's words in the Enchanted Forest. "I know about Daniel, how Cora killed him."

"And then Cora sold her off to be the wife of a man old enough to be her grandfather and to be the mother of a child only a few years younger than herself. She was forced to lose her innocence to a man who did not love her, who treated her like property, and whom Snow loved so much she was blind to Regina's suffering." Perhaps she was speaking out of turn about things Regina would kill her for saying, but these things had to be said. Someone needed to understand the fallen queen. Someone needed to save her.

"The King was far too old to father anything healthy, and she miscarried several children. Leopold, of course, blamed her for the losses. Even spiraling into depression, she still protected Snow, keeping her from the harsh reality she was living in. Regina only began hating the girl when she could find nothing else to hate; Cora was outside of her grasp.

"And while she has made terrible choices, she is not a bad person. I'm not excusing everything she's done, but even good people lose their way when no one is there to save them."

Eva cleared her throat, setting the empty glass down in exchange for the water and pills she had set out earlier. "I'm going to take this to Regina," she declared somewhat abruptly, and left the Savior to her jumbled thoughts.


	5. Chapter 5

**SHE WOLF**

**Fandom**: Once Upon A Time

**Pairings**: Emma/Regina, Regina/OC

**Rating**: M

**Warnings**: Language, violence, sex between two women

**Trigger Warnings: **Mentions of abuse, rough sex, torture

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Once Upon A Time or it's characters. They belong to others. I make no profit from this. However, Eva is mine.

**Summary**: SPOILERS UP TO 2x09. GOES AU AFTER THAT. Includes an OC. A person from Regina's past shows up amidst the chaos, a voice of clarity among the cacophany of voices; she believes there is redemption for Regina, but only down a road Regina must first accept.

**Author's Note: **Definitely not happy with the last half of this chapter. And I know people wanted longer chapters, but that's what kept me from posting for so long. I'd sit and stare at it, willing more, but it just wouldn't happen. I'm sorry. This is my first story that isn't a one-shot, so it's practice for bigger fics. I apologize. Also, the next chapter has changed so many times I feel like this story is beginning to have an identity crisis. UGH. But, soon there will be more exciting –and sexy- things to read! **Reviews -even critique!- are greatly appreciated... even if you're just taking five seconds to say 'yay' or** **'nay.'**

**PS: I seriously JUST learned how to do this line thingy... as I'm posting this chapter. Sad.  
**

* * *

"I don't feel good," she muttered into her pillow.

"I know." Regina felt Eva push the hair from her face, fingers hesitating against her cheek, then a palm pressing against her forehead.

"Damn," was all she heard before hands were grabbing at her, hauling her up into a sitting position. Her stomach roiled as the world spun, and she was sure she was going to revisit the alcohol she'd been drinking all evening. An unbidden groan of discomfort escaped her lips, but that was the least of her worries. As uncomfortable as she was, it was nothing compared to the magic suddenly flaring to life inside her, trying to burn it's way out, reacting violently to Eva's touch.

As if it were trying to attack the werewolf through her skin.

Sickness gripped her immediately at the magical imbalance. "I think I'm going to be ill," her fingers dug into the edge of the bed as she attempted to keep her stomach contents down and keep the floor from tilting sideways like it was doing. She clenched her eyes shut as a last defense, but she was vomiting a heartbeat later.

When she opened her eyes again, the wastebasket from the bathroom was in front of her. The horrible taste of alcohol-laced bile burned her throat and the inside of her mouth, and after a few shaky breaths she was vomiting a second time. Callused fingers pushed the hair from her face, keeping it from becoming dirtied, as the former queen emptied her stomach.

Regina's eyes blurred with unshed tears, so she missed the worried look on Eva's face. As it was, it took several minutes for Regina to finally focus again, with a supportive hand on her back. Once her vision cleared, the hand left her and she could see two pills in Eva's palm, and a glass of water in the other.

Registering the Advil, Regina reached for the tiny pills. She managed to fumble them into her mouth, and Eva helped her with the glass of water. Some of it dribbled down her chin, and Regina was struck by how embarrassing this whole situation was. The daughter of her arch-nemesis was downstairs in her kitchen, and a woman she had used so wrongly in another life was offering her an undeserved reprieve from the pain after witnessing her throwing up a hell of a lot of alcohol.

She wiped the excess water self-consciously with the back of her hand, the move so far from her queenly dignity.

"C'mon," she heard from beside her, and those hands were on her again, pulling her to her feet. "Let's get you cleaned up."

Loathe to admit it, she practically clings to Eva, barely able to keep her legs beneath her. But the Wolf is undeniably strong, and she easily carries her to the bathroom without complaint, without judgment. The woman oversees the former mayor as she brushes her teeth and uses a bit of mouthwash to clean out the lingering taste of sickness, Regina propped against the sink, Eva close at her side.

Each time a new wave of dizziness from the revolting magic buckles her knees, Eva keeps her steady and upright until she can continue whatever she was doing. And she does it in such a way that it seems like an every-day occurrence: grasp Regina's upper arm, hold her in place until she isn't wobbling anymore, let her go. All while recounting some recent event Regina pays little attention to. But the talking keeps her grounded firmly in the present, lest her swirling mind wander.

By the time she spits blue mouthwash into the sink, the world isn't spinning quite so much.

Eva has left her side, seemingly confident Regina won't collapse, and has perched on the edge of the large tub with her legs crossed at the knee and palms steadying her on the cool granite.

She meets the Wolf's eyes through the mirror.

"What do you want?"

The woman cants her head, tossing hair into her eyes. "What do you mean?"

"You must want something… You wouldn't help me for nothing. Not after…" her mind goes back to that last day; the whip, the blood, Eva facedown on the floor panting.

"All I want… is for you to be happy."

She turns to face Eva, her arms crossing protectively over her front, and aims a glare in the woman's direction. "Don't play me, wolf."

Eva searches her eyes a moment, then lets her eyes fall to the ground. Her posture even shifts, that proud alpha rigidity wilting. "I would never play you, your majesty."

"I am not _queen_ anymore, Eva," she snaps.

"Perhaps not, but I see you as nothing less. I once pledged my loyalty to you, and a wolf has nothing greater –or more binding- to offer."

Regina grips her elbows a bit tighter, caught between the sudden rising sickness and some sort of hope. The sickness wins out in the end, but this time it manifests in a current of electric green.

The magic chars part of the floor, and Eva only just barely avoids the second current when it arcs past her to blow apart the bathroom door.

Regina slips when she back-pedals in surprise, but her current state of off-balance sends her down. The werewolf catches her in time to prevent a head injury, but there will be no way to avoid the bruising in her hip. Reality fades in and out in waves, each more confusing than the last.

Eva is snarling a string of expletives in such a manner that it forms a coherent sentence, the smell of burning stings her nose and burns her eyes, there is warmth, then cold, hard, then soft. There's a sound like a thousand angels are cursing her to serve an eternity caged in Hell.

Her hip is really hurting when she wakes again, and she hears a muted, but heated, back-and-forth. The door to her bedroom slams open so hard she's afraid the thing has come off it's hinges. Or left a mark in the wall. She can hear hurried footsteps, two pairs, and Emma panicking.

Someone's touching her hair, so she opens her eyes. Eva.

"We're out of time, Regina. This transfer is happening _now._" The ex-mayor gave a defeated nod. What other choice did she really have? "How do we do this transfer?"

Regina was silent but for her heavy breathing, and Eva sat on the bed beside her. Emma nervously shoved her hands into her jean pockets, trying and failing to feign indifference.

"_Regina_." Eva attempts to get her attention again.

The former mayor hesitates, then relents. "One hand on me… in me, you have to take my heart. No, touch my heart. Hold it. Grip it." Why was it so hard to think? "You can't touch _anything _else." She takes a breath, slow and unsteady, then continues. "My heart, it's where the magic resides. If you leave yourself open, and don't fight against it, and it should flow in to you…" She paused to catch her breath, to realign her scrambled thoughts. "Like the tide. It should rush to fill the emptiness. It will move into your heart." When had she started gripping the sheets so fiercely? "Once it's completely inside you, you have to _will_ it out."

"Will it out?" Eva furrows her brows.

"_Reject_ it_. Push_ it from you," Regina hisses, feeling her mind slip towards that deep, not-quite-sane end of the thought pool. "You have to release my heart before you do this or it can… it can snap back." God, she's tired. "If you touch something else while doing it… you could force the magic onto the object. Or person."

"Emma," she hears the name fired off like a gunshot, and suddenly she's suspended in the air. No, they were carrying her.

Distantly, she wonders where they might be going, but every bit of self is drowned in the surge of magic that claims her as it's own.


End file.
